The Intentional Comeback

Navigating Chaos, Clarifying Priorities, and What Comes Next

Right after the new year started, life tossed me a few curveballs: a serious illness knocked me down for a month, I traveled back home to the US for an extended visit, and then jumped into an exciting (but demanding!) new client project. Ironically, intentional living took a temporary back seat.

What I learned from my time away from writing is that priorities can change, but staying intentional allows you to stay on top of your priorities, not controlled by them. When your health crashes, you see how unimportant your other priorities can be. I was reminded that no other priority outranks health. Thankfully, I’ve been back to normal since February and am even back to my old workout routine again.

Traveling for a month shook my routines and provided clarity about what I truly value and which priorities actually matter most. Seeing family back home in the South reinforced just how crucial intentionality is in how I'm raising my own family. With siblings, parents and in-laws scattered between two continents, I really have to pick and choose who I spend time with and for how long. The recent trip motivated me to read some books on raising my one-year old son intentionally. That’s shifting to become a larger research focus, but first there’s a bigger project: the audiobook recording for Life on Offense: Do HARD Things.

Here’s the exciting part, next month, my co-author Jay Tiegs and I begin recording the audiobook. Getting ready for this recording was exactly the reminder I needed of why intentional living and clear priorities matter. Especially as we rehearsed the chapter titled “Goal Crusher,” which focuses on dominating goals within realistic deadlines.

As we rehearsed the script of the audiobook, I reconnected with our manuscript and reflected more on my own priorities and time management. After reading through the last chapter aloud, I sat down and rebuilt my schedule around the HARD framework (HARD stands for Health, Affluence, Relationships, and Development). It was tough because I had to cut out some things I wanted to do, but it was so worth it because of the mental clarity that came with it. I’ve doubled down on eating healthy and working out first thing every morning. I’m also spending more time researching for writing projects that deeply align with my values, instead of watching the never-ending feed of Youtube video suggestions or reading through my web browser’s recommended articles.

Here are the three tactics I implemented to regain control of my life and regain clarity:

1. Priority Audit: I reviewed my top priorities (Health, Affluence, Relationships, Development) and daily habits to ensure alignment with my core goals—particularly involving health and family—and refocused accordingly.

2. Time-Blocking & Saying No: After returning, I reorganized my calendar day-by-day to clearly reflect my priorities, delayed some projects intentionally, and scheduled extra time to ensure a stellar audiobook recording.

3. Preparation Mindset: Booking our studio time for early May created a firm deadline, sharpened my focus, and drove clear, intentional action. To meet the deadline I had to make sure consulting, recruiting, the audiobook rehearsal, and parenting responsibilities were all organized around this milestone.

It feels great reconnecting with you and the Life on Offense community. Thank you for sticking with me through this hiatus. I'm back with renewed clarity, committed more than ever to exploring intentional living alongside you. I'd love to hear about your experiences with maintaining a life on offense lately—what’s worked or hasn’t worked for you? Feel free to reply or drop a comment below. Big things are coming; I’m excited to be on this journey with you again!